Cricket Council USA visits Dubai on development drive
DUBAI/UAE: Cricket Council USA (CCUSA) officials recently paid a visit to the United Arab Emirates where they visited the International Cricket Council (ICC) headquarters seeking information on developing cricket in America.
Chairman of CCUSA Mahammad Qureshi led a team that included directors Nanda Sandilya, Tanveer Ahmed, Zishawn Qureshi and office staff Asif Shams, Omair Sheikh and Safaraz Ahmed all visited the ICC Academy at Dubai Sports City, as well as the Dubai International Stadium and the famed Sharjah Stadium, looking at the infrastructure, holding discussions and engaging in fruitful partnerships that will help assist cricket in the US.
Qureshi speaking to News925 said: “Our main objective in going to Dubai was to visit the facilities and the ICC headquarters and cricket academy. We want to learn even more about what is required in terms of facilities and staging tournaments because as at CCUSA is now embarking on a great development thrust.
“We want more international cricket in America and we are positioning ourselves to be ready in the event that it happens. We at CCUSA has hosted cricket in the US for over two decades and we have staged our very popular US Open T20 tournament for 13 years. We are happy to be in Dubai, looking at the set up and seeing what we can replicate that would lead to the betterment of cricket in the United States.”
Qureshi, who has invested millions into the development of the sport added that the upcoming World Cup in 2024 is a great opportunity for cricket to take off in America. “World Cup 2024 is great opportunity for us and we must be ready to show the world that we are at the international stage in America.
“CCUSA is looking to play our part in assisting to make this a great venture because we see the value of the World Cup coming to our shores.”
Qureshi has bought big parcels of land in five states where cricket grounds and more importantly academies will be built to help develop the young talent. He is particularly proud of a project that he wants to start in Washington. “We want to get a high-quality cricket academy going in Washington DC and we have already sourced the land for the project.”
